Socratic Perplexity and the Nature of Philosophy

Gareth B. Matthews

Socratic Perplexity and the Nature of Philosophy

Gareth B. Matthews

Description

Gareth Matthews suggests that we can better understand the nature of philosophical inquiry if we recognize the central role played by perplexity. The seminal representation of philosophical perplexity is in Plato's dialogues; Matthews examines the intriguing shifts in Plato's attitude to perplexity and suggests that these may represent a course of philosophical development that philosophers follow even today.

Socratic Perplexity and the Nature of Philosophy

Gareth B. Matthews

Table of Contents

1. Perplexity and the Figure of Socrates2. Perplexity and the Beginning of Philosophy3. Getting Perplexed about the Virtues4. Getting Perplexed about Divine Normativity5. Shared Perplexity: The Self-Stinging Stingray6. Avoiding Perplexity: The Paradox of Inquiry7. Purely Instrumental Perplexity8. Second-Order Perplexity9. Professionalized Perplexity: The Midwife10. Perplexity as Itself a Target of Inquiry11. Perplexity and Methodology in Aristotle12. Socratic Perplexity and the Nature of PhilosophyBibliographyIndex